Ashley was so sweet one night to a patient of mine, and I just really appreciated her doing something out-of-the-ordinary to make my patient's wishes come true, and make light of an unfortunate situation.
A patient of mine in antepartum delivered twins a few weeks early. Twin B thankfully was doing well in the NICU. However, Twin A passed away 28 hours later due to a birth anomaly called anencephaly.
First off, the night before I also had the patient, and the patient really wanted Twin B to meet his brother for the first time out of the womb, and get some pictures of the two brothers together. This was about 10 hours after delivery. Ashely was so sweet and allowed Twin A to come to the NICU to visit his brother and get pictures. In the meantime, Ashely was fully aware that Twin A was not doing well and could pass away at any moment in her patient's room. My patient was so thankful for the opportunity it brought tears to her eyes. She never gave us a hard time (even though it was against the rules, but this was a different circumstance) and was so welcoming to help the patient have the opportunity to see her babies together alive. Kudos to Ashley for being so sweet that night.
Second, the next night we were both back to work caring for the same patients. Unfortunately, Twin A had just passed away. The patient had asked if at all possible for the brothers to be together one last time to say "goodbye" to one another. I called down to the NICU and this time Ashley, with the help of a physician, facilitated Twin B coming from the NICU to the patient's room to visit and say his goodbyes. They were able to disconnect him from his IV fluids, put him on a portable monitor and wheel him all the way down the hall to us. The family was able to spend some time together. Just the four of them, and hold the twins together one last time. I was able to get some really sweet pictures of the boys together and some as a family of four. Ashley stayed with Twin B, and never at any moment did she make the patient feel rushed or that this was an inconvenience. She made the patient feel very comfortable, and again she was very thankful for the opportunity, one she did not think was possible knowing the babies would be separated after birth and that one would pass away. A huge thank you to Ashley for being so compassionate, thoughtful and kind for allowing this to happen, and for taking the time to leave her comfort zone in the NICU to come to our world on antepartum, to go above and beyond for a patient.
I hope you know how happy you made this family. They were very thankful and appreciated this time together. This left a lasting impression and positive feedback for our hospital. They now have these precious memories they will never forget. What an amazing nurse!